{"id":193764,"date":"2026-02-25T22:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T22:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/193764\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T22:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T22:43:07","slug":"woke-san-diego-high-school-scraps-mascot-name-chieftains-after-newsom-backed-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/193764\/","title":{"rendered":"Woke San Diego high school scraps mascot name ‘Chieftains’ after Newsom-backed law"},"content":{"rendered":"

A San Diego high school is scrapping a mascot that\u2019s stood for nearly seven decades after California lawmakers expanded a statewide ban on Native American-themed team names<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The San Diego Unified School District voted on Tuesday to change Clairemont High School\u2019s<\/a> \u201cChieftains\u201d nickname to \u201cCaptains,\u201d citing a 2024 law that prohibits public schools from using terms including \u201cChiefs\u201d and \u201cChieftains\u201d starting July 1. <\/p>\n

The new name will take effect in the 2026\u201327 school year, with a multi-year rebranding effort to follow.<\/a><\/p>\n

Clairemont High School in San Diego will retire its longtime \u201cChieftains\u201d nickname. Instagram\/CBS 8 San Diego<\/p>\n

While the nickname change<\/a> will begin this fall, the full rebrand is expected to take up to three years to complete as the campus phases out the \u201cChieftains\u201d name across uniforms, athletic facilities, signage, printed materials and the gym floor.<\/p>\n

The San Diego Unified board voted to replace Clairemont High\u2019s \u201cChieftains\u201d with \u201cCaptains.\u201d Instagram\/CBS 8 San Diego<\/p>\n

Existing gear and branding will be replaced on a rolling basis to manage costs, meaning visual remnants of the old identity could remain in place during the transition.<\/p>\n

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The decision followed a nearly yearlong review that began last April, when the district launched a formal process to comply with the state\u2019s expanded mascot ban<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A 10-person naming committee made up of students, staff, community members and district representatives hosted six town halls, opened submissions for new name ideas and conducted a community survey that drew more than 500 responses.<\/p>\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 2024 law broadening the state\u2019s mascot ban, setting off nickname changes in districts across Southern California. Debra L. Rothenberg\/ZUMA \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n

California lawmakers first stepped into the mascot debate in 2015, when then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 30 banning public schools from using the term \u201cRedskins,\u201d effective in 2017.<\/p>\n

The measure made California the first state in the nation to prohibit that nickname in K-12 schools.<\/p>\n

The effort widened dramatically in 2024, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3074, expanding the prohibition to include terms such as \u201cApaches,\u201d \u201cBraves,\u201d \u201cChiefs\u201d and \u201cChieftains.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies to public schools statewide.<\/p>\n

Under the statute, schools can retain a prohibited name only if they secure written consent from a local federally recognized tribe. Schools operated by tribes are exempt.<\/p>\n

After nearly seven decades as the Chieftains, Clairemont High is rebranding its teams. Instagram\/CBS 8 San Diego<\/p>\n

Campuses that fail to comply could face penalties under the state\u2019s uniform complaint procedures.<\/p>\n

The legislation has already prompted a wave of changes across Southern California.<\/p>\n

In Orange County, Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton is retiring its longtime \u201cIndians\u201d nickname and will become the \u201cRed Hawks\u201d beginning in the 2026\u201327 school year.<\/p>\n

In San Bernardino County, Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga dropped the \u201cBraves\u201d and adopted the \u201cLions\u201d after a community review process.<\/p>\n

In Los Angeles County, William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita replaced the \u201cIndians\u201d with the \u201cHawks\u201d ahead of the new law\u2019s deadline.<\/p>\n

And in Santa Fe Springs, Santa Fe High School \u2014 long known as the \u201cChiefs\u201d \u2014 has launched a formal process to select a new nickname in response to the state mandate, though a replacement has not yet been finalized.<\/p>\n

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